Afternoon all,
19 months ago, I purchased a Erbauer ERB380ROU from Screwfix (1/2” and ¼”). It packed in this weekend despite being under very little load while cutting white wood. I cannot find my receipt to claim on the 2 year warranty and Screwfix conveniently delete your records after 18 months….. so I need to buy a new router.
With this one, I mainly have it under my router table. There are quite a few occasions I would have used it separately, but couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of taking it out of the table.
Looking around, the Bosch 1600 looks to be a great bit of kit. I really like some features which were a pain with the router I had:
1) Having two bases so I can quickly put in and out of my router table
2) Being able to fine adjust the fixed base using the key through my table
3) The constant LEDs (rather than ones that only come on when the motor starts
4) The ‘press to disengage’ height lock
However, at £400, its 4 times the price of just buying a replacement Erbauer!
The big question though: do I NEED a ½” router, or could I get away with a ¼”. If I can use a ¼, I have more options for twin bases (though most miss the features noted above). I cut a lot of oak, so I know the 1/2” gives more stability for hard woods. Most of the bits that I have are also ½”, so would mean re-investing for ¼”. Is there any real benefits of me changing to a ¼”?
I love the features of the Bosch, but struggling to justify the massive price jump. Any thoughts either way will be greatly appreciated.
19 months ago, I purchased a Erbauer ERB380ROU from Screwfix (1/2” and ¼”). It packed in this weekend despite being under very little load while cutting white wood. I cannot find my receipt to claim on the 2 year warranty and Screwfix conveniently delete your records after 18 months….. so I need to buy a new router.
With this one, I mainly have it under my router table. There are quite a few occasions I would have used it separately, but couldn’t be bothered with the hassle of taking it out of the table.
Looking around, the Bosch 1600 looks to be a great bit of kit. I really like some features which were a pain with the router I had:
1) Having two bases so I can quickly put in and out of my router table
2) Being able to fine adjust the fixed base using the key through my table
3) The constant LEDs (rather than ones that only come on when the motor starts
4) The ‘press to disengage’ height lock
However, at £400, its 4 times the price of just buying a replacement Erbauer!
The big question though: do I NEED a ½” router, or could I get away with a ¼”. If I can use a ¼, I have more options for twin bases (though most miss the features noted above). I cut a lot of oak, so I know the 1/2” gives more stability for hard woods. Most of the bits that I have are also ½”, so would mean re-investing for ¼”. Is there any real benefits of me changing to a ¼”?
I love the features of the Bosch, but struggling to justify the massive price jump. Any thoughts either way will be greatly appreciated.
